3123“” 26.

see

note 1.

1954

‘n'n r r.,r_

Mission of St. Columb:

f Touards the close of the 13th century seveial Catholic heads of [aniilics from the Highlands of

crii shore of Prince Edward 115— land. On their arrival they found iihe extmere East Point occupied iby an old soldier from the Low- lands. named Peebles; another Lowland settler named John Ford ultimately Joined them. and they ‘iiad a later addition to their ranks ”in the person of John Broh. an Irishman from Dublin and uncle to Archbishop Hughes. then Arch- bishop of New York.

In the year 1806 these people rirt about building their first church which was a log structure

The builder was one John Camp- bell. oommonly called lan Mor,

the boards for the church were all prepared by hand, and in lieu of shingles. the root was covered lwith two tiers of boards. The first grave yard of the micsion which

«as used some years before the church was built. was on the farm of Duncan Campbell about five chain: from the beach.

The second church which was erected between the years of 1331 and 1825. was a frame budding. fifty-feet in lengUi by thirty in width. It was also bill“. by Ian Mor.

The inside of this church was celled and painted and was furn-

ished with a gallery. The painting the father of Mr. George Thresher, at the time a lirsident of Charlottetown. In 1846 it Ira; found necessary to m a larger church for the imiugion of St. Coiumba. aiid uork was commenced during the pas- ,iora'ii'f Timur?» LIL-"Pee. RM. 1

iii'as done by

‘31,.1‘! ‘ "Hr-”m was we builder. 'I‘he dime iOnI .uere F10 feet in length by 50 in Feed-1h; height of post was 34

ude or 120 feet The greater part of the inside work of the church was done by the Messrs. Cari-oi of Charlottetown. The altar. which was very nest in design and ex- ecution was the work of Mr. Demo-l sey of Bummerside. The pews. wetnscotiirig and gallery frontal were of imitation oak. The pul~ lpit of solid oak and rosewood was in gem. the work of Mr. Bernard ‘Creamier. The uoad employed in its construction was taken from .HMS. Phoenix which “as wreck- ;‘ed on East Pomt reef in 1881.

Scotland settlcd on the North east-'

30 feet in length by 26 in width.u

or Big John. As there were no: saw mill: acchssibie at the time.|

eet. The spire rose to an ultit-.

.-———____

T. 1E CllA R DIAN. _ Clis‘iRLOTTWTOWN

At East Point 1

Above the alter hung a valu. able piece of tapestry, evidently embrmderrd by I-‘renoh ladies of by-gone centuries. lt ropreecnted the Resurrection of..the Blessed Lord; in the foreground were the figures of several Roman soldiers in awe-stricken Ittitudoa at the Sight 'of the risen Christ. The col- ouriiig was delicate and the needlework. exquisite The stations of the Crooks in this church here very handsome oleographs in black walnut frames. The organ of the Dominion make was a powerful and complete instrument. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of old St. Columbia's was its bell which weighed 1345 pounds. Its aonorous tones could be heard within a radius of seven miles. 'Ilhe origin- iil architects of the church de- signed a vestry. but in course of time it was found to be too small to meet the requtrements of the congregation. In the year 1886. it was replaced by a larger one, a fine building 40 feet in length by 36 feet in breath and 15 feet pot-it.

O O

‘At the same time 22 new pews were added to those already in the church. a step rendered neces- sary by the increase in the con- gregation. These improvements were made during the pastorate of Rev. D. J. Gillis.

The presbylery was very old and had been built by Bishop McEachtrn. In the year 1869 it was remodelled and enlarged by the isle very Rev. Daniel Mac- Donald, then paalor of St. Col- umba's. ‘

The fcemetery contains some handsome monuments. among others. one to the Hon. Emanuel McEachern. who died in Novem- ber 1875. aged 59 years. This emin- jcnt public man possessed strong antipathiea; It is told of him that when he was requested to pat- ronize a Highland dinner. given in Charlottetoan Ln 1871. to cele- brate the marriage of HEB. Prin- cess Louise with the Marquis of Lorne. Mr. McEachern declined, saying he wished the young man and his wife well. but that he would not be present at an en- tertainment given in honour of a Campbell. one of that house. the were the hereditary manh- of his .clan. In the centre of I). graveyard stood a mission to. marking the preaence of the ho- demptorisis in 1884.

In connection with the Church

isoczkird hour

of St. Columba vie-re the Sodaiity of the Scapular of Mount Carmel. numbering 775 meriibeis. the Con- fraternlty of the Sacred Heart. established in 1885. and numbering 515 members. and St. Coiumba's Catholic Total Abstinence Seeiety which had on its roll of member- ship the names of 355 men, Un- til Bishop McEachern opened his road to the East Paint. the peo- ple of St. Coiumba's had no way of travelling but by water. if we except a. road blazed by the In- dlans through the forest, from the north shore to the West River. This road was usually taken by Bishop McEachern when com- ing from Rollo Bay to St. Colum- ba's. I O 0'

A peculiarity of this dutrict is its beautiful water scenery. A short distance from the church on the ‘north side is a body of fresh wa- ter a. mile and a half long and half a mile broad. called the North Lake. In the time of the French oc- cupation there was a natural chan- nel connecting this lake With the .Gulf and it then formed a har- bour for lame vessels. The en- trance. however. graduail'y be- come choked with sand, render- ing it impassable. About the year 1855 the people iivtng in the vic- inity cut a canal through the sand bar. so as to admit of the entrance of their fishing boots. but storms econ came and the sand drifted in and packed closely,

'50 that there is now a firm and- level roadway uhere the mer-‘ chant vessels of St. Maio once rode at anchor.

This lake is the home of splen- did specimens of the finny tribe.

and here every summer many tourists come in march of the

’iiiree miles from.

Note:

1. Read: Pius McPhee, Ronald MacDonald of Big Cape was the builder.

pastorate of Rev.